Authoritarians hold demanding moral standards that make everyday life feel sinful.

Evidence

These are the ways that I think ordinary people in our culture come to identify acts as evil. I should admit that, armed with these definitional remarks, I do not think that it is possible to definitely, unequivocally categorize certain acts as evil, and certain others as merely “bad.” That limitation is not fatal to the kind of psychological enterprise I am attempting. Instead I claim three things. First, a person who identifies an act as evil, when operating at the level of day-to-day understandings, does so with considerable personal certainty. Second, and again at this level, there is a considerable consensus among people about acts they will classify as evil. (Not surprisingly, this consensus contributes to the sense of certainty of classification that each individual feels.) Third, principles ordinary people say lie behind their intuitions about evil are the ones I have spelled out. Of these three claims, the first—that people, in their day-to-day lives, make untroubled judgments of what actions are evil—is central to my argument. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 3876 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Highs have a proven capacity to compartmentalize their thinking, to believe contradictory things, to adopt double standards, to shift their principles to justify what they want, and to avoid unpleasant insights into themselves. I suspect all of us tailor-fit the cloak of righteousness to our own behavior, and Highs can be at least as good at that as anyone else. — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 2509 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Authoritarians regulate sexuality and even thought through religious sin — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 157; People make untroubled, consensual judgments of evil in daily life — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 3876; Authoritarians retain moral self-superiority through compartmentalized double standards — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 2509 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• People make untroubled, consensual judgments of evil in daily life #complicates (0.78) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 3876
• Authoritarians retain moral self-superiority through compartmentalized double standards #complicates (0.72) — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 2509